Hello Everyone,
My name is Wojtek and I’have just started my adventure with Steemit. I got to know about this amazing platform from a friend who told me what Steemit is and what is going on in here.
So here I am – can’t wait to share my story with you.
LET ME TELL YOU MORE ABOUT ME
I was born in Poland in autumn 1984 in a little village which I jokingly called NRD. As you know, at that time, Poland was under the communist regime and life was very difficult.
At the age of 9, as a little boy, I envinced the desire to compete. Being stubborn and persistent at same time, helped me make a decision of taking up sport which my dad implanted in me.
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
My father was a very good and promising cyclist with a large number of successes. Unfortunately, the severe times we lived in, made his making a further career impossible and in the end he became a cycling coach.
I can still remember this unforgettable feeling of excitement when my Dad took me for a first race in one of the Polish big cities. “That was it” – I thought! That was the moment I fell in love with this sport. As it turned out, it wasn’t a short term relationship but a whole life commitment.
In spring 1993, together with a group of other cyclists, I went for my first training in my life. I covered a distance of only 24 km then but I had a feeling that I rode across the whole world. It was an extraordinary and obviously no mean feat for such a little boy like me.
[Me, my Dad and my first race.]
You are probably wondering what happened next…
Well, my career as a professional cyclist advanced… I achieved a lot of successes e.g. I was a Polish Champion NINE TIMES (U23 and Elite category) and won a lot UCI races. (INTERNATIONAL CYCLING UNION).I travelled around the whole world and raced in many countries such as: Australia, USA, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Russia etc… In 2007, I was also called to National Team and was about to represent my country in Stuttgart during the ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. IT WAS A DREAM COME TRUE FOR ME!
...BUT THEN SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENED…
During one of the mountain races before the championships I had an accident and damaged my spine. Everything that I’ve worked so hard for, has suddenly ended. Imagine a young sportsman lying in a hospital and listening to the doctors whispering to each other: “I don’t think he will be able to walk again”.
I thought my life was over…
But as They say:
“WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU, MAKES YOU STRONGER”
I’ve been strangely fortunate, because the vertebra’s break didn’t damage the spinal cord and after six months of rehabilitation I was back in the saddle again.
Since then, my sport’s life was very difficult. I only met people who were more about to take rather than give and help. Time passes by very quickly and the chances you are given do not come back very often. Sometimes, such moments happen once in a lifetime and everything depends on the luck.
I’ve written this post to close this chapter of my life and start a new one…
I’m 31 now and one month ago I decided to finish my career as a professional cyclist. Nevertheless, I still want to be active and do what I was born to do – RIDE A BIKE!. In Poland, Amateur Cycling has gained a huge popularity and gathers thousands of cyclists at each race. It could be also a fantastic way to PROMOTE STEEMIT PLATFORM.
Do you think I could RACE under the label STEEMIT? I’m waiting for your opinions.
If you like the idea, I will be WINNING FOR STEEMIT!
P.S. Let me introduce you my biggest fan - My Daughter Sophie
STEEMIT FIRST TRAINING!
MUSIC: AWOLNATION – SAIL
